Falling
by sparki111
Summary: One by one, my defenses fall. And there is nothing I can do to save myself. Prequel to Something New. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So, in response to GabbyTheAngel's review, I've began to write this prequel to my Loki fanfic, **_**Something New**_**. So I hope you enjoy it, and please review. I**

**I do not own anything (unfortunately) apart from O/Cs. All respective rights to DC. **

He didn't think. He just ran.

It was as though his body were moving of its own accord. Only when he slammed into the hard, gravelly ground, did his mind take control once more. He lay still on the ground, staring up at the vast expanse of blue above him, trying to clear the cloud of confusion that must have clouded his reason.

Loki tried to take a breath, but immediately erupted into an irritating fit of coughs. It took his a few moments to rid his lungs of the automobiles' foul exhausts. Mentally, he checked his fragile form for injuries. The only cause of discomfort was a small sharp stone that he discovered stabbing into his elbow. Loki flicked it away in distain.

"T-Thank you..."

The quavering voice startled him. Loki lowered his gaze, and started. In his arms, curled up against his chest, was a human. Her body shook as though she had just witnessed hell itself. Her pale blue eyes stared up at him, with both gratitude, and fear.

"You... you s-saved my life," she whispered. And suddenly, he realized why he was lying on the side of the road, with a human girl quaking in his arms. Loki groaned.

_What was I thinking?_

Battling to hide his indignation, the god rose abruptly to his feet, unceremoniously releasing the woman from his arms as he did. Ignoring the onlookers' expression of admiration, Loki strode deliberately away from the busy road. As he walked, he struggled to comprehend what had come over him. What could have possessed him to do something as utterly pointless as saving a human?

"Stupid quim," he muttered. "I should have let her die." What ever had she been doing, standing there in the middle of such a busy road? Loki couldn't help but wonder. Absently, he pulled the sleeve of his sweatshirt up to his elbow. He scratched at the irritated skin. His new 'clothing', Loki decided, was quite possibly the most uncomfortable he had ever been made to wear. However, his native dress would seem somewhat... out of place, amongst his new surroundings. The last thing Loki wanted was to draw attention.

Not just yet, anyway. The god allowed himself a rare smile.

Banishing Loki to Earth was, in Loki's opinion, the stupidest sentence Odin could have passed on his 'son'. The pathetic little planet was nothing less than the perfect playground for Loki's mischief. And although Odin had bound most of Loki's magic, he was after all, still a god. He needed nothing more to cause trouble for his brother's beloved humans.

Loki was well aware that the human organisation known to him as SHIELD had been monitoring him. However, when the time came that he chose to... 'fly off the handle', who were they to stop him?

The merry chords of the street musicians pounding painfully in his ears. Loki scowled, and continued down the street. It was on this day of the week that the human set up their makeshift market places, selling food and clothing and all manner of strange objects Loki hadn't the patience, nor the curiosity, to examine. Upon passing a stall that held an array of fruit and vegetable, Loki discreetly took a bright red apple from its place in a basket. He took a bite. The shiny skin crackled beneath his teeth. He closed his eyes for a moment, savouring the sweet flesh resting against his tongue. Loki grinned.

"This punishment, I can learn to endure."

**Hope you guys like it! Next chapter coming soon. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys. Here's the next part of my Thor fanfic. Just wanted to apologize though; I was half asleep when I wrote the first chapter – I meant to say all rights to MARVEL, not DC. Sorry. Hope you enjoy, and please review.**

Loki lay awake until well after midnight, staring at the ceiling. Hours earlier, his slumber had been broken by a strange dream. In his dream, was the human girl he'd... saved that day from the automobile. She didn't speak; she simply stood, watching him. And try as he might, Loki couldn't look away. Her pale eyes trapped his mind, and rooted his feet to the ground.

When he opened his eyes, the dream slowly faded into nothing. The harder he tried to grasp the shadowy images, the more they slipped from his mind's grasp. After a few moments, he abandoned his pointless searching; it wasn't as though the dream mattered, after all. He would never see the human, or her pale blue eyes, ever again.

But even as the last traces of his dream disappeared, Loki still found himself unable to fall asleep. It wasn't as though he _needed _rest – he could stay awake for months if necessary. When he had resided in Asgard, he had barely slept at all. But here on Earth, sleep was just something he had begun using to pass the long, magic-deprived hours of darkness. All the same, his sudden insomnia was irritating all the same.

So instead, Loki lay in his pathetic excuse for a bed, silently counting the cracks on the plaster ceiling. As he counted, his mind continued to wander back to that day, when he'd saved that human. It had been almost a week now, and yet Loki still found himself unable to understand what had moved him to race to her rescue. She was nothing to him; just another blemish on the face of humanity.

_But I did save her._

Loki sighed. Abandoning all hope of returning to his peaceful sleep, he sat up in his bed, and stared around the darkened room in distain. It was a pathetic little place – certainly not fit for a son of the All Father. However, with no earthly resources, Loki had little choice. For his first few weeks on the planet of green and blue, he had wandered the streets at night, only stopping to rest when he began to grow bored. On occasion, he had run into 'trouble' – ego-centric young men who thought the god an easy target. Loki, of course, had had no problems dealing with them. But the nights were getting colder, and Loki was not fond of being constantly rained on.

Loki had fixed the abandoned weatherboard as well as he could with his now-limited magic, but the place still reeked of desolation. Practically empty, the house consisted of three rooms: a bedroom, a kitchenette with a table stuffed in the corner, and a bathroom that doubled as a laundry.

Sitting atop the bed covers, the god ran a hand through his dark hair. From where he sat, he gazed out the open window. For once, the sky was cloudless, and Loki had a clear view of the stars. Very rarely did he miss his home, but when he did, it ached, like a wound to his heart. As he stared at the stars, he couldn't help but wonder where in them his brother was, and whether he ever wondered the same about Loki.

The notion lasted only a moment. Of course Thor didn't think of him; everyone he'd left behind in Asgard hated him. Many of them had tried to kill him on occasion. Loki allowed his anger to return, and turned away from the window. He lay back, staring once more at the ceiling.

_I wonder if anyone misses me._

With a cry of frustration, Loki blew a hole in the roof.

**Hope you liked it. Please review guys! Third part coming soon. And once again, MARVEL, not DC.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey Guys, and welcome to 2013! Hope you like it. All rights to Marvel.**

_The victim, a 23 year-old male, was found dead outside the Bolts 'n' Things factory outlet earlier this morning. At first, no physical injuries could be located. However, after a further medical examination, the victim was deemed to have suffered a serious fracture to the cervical vertebrae. This was later announced by doctors as the cause of death. Despite the evidence of murder, the victim's body shows no sign of a struggle. No bruises to the cervical region that would suggest strangling have been found... _

Loki dropped the newspaper. It landed on the wooden tabletop with a flutter of pages. He felt no remorse what so ever over last night's 'complication'. The money now sitting comfortably in his pocket was a clear indication. With a sigh, he gazed with unseeing eyes out the cafe's window, watching the people pass by with disinterest.

A young woman hurried across the street. As Loki watched, she stopped right outside the window. She leant over, struggling with strap of her ridiculously high-heeled shoes. Pressed to her ear was one of the humans' portable communication devices. As she made her way briskly up the street, before disappearing into the haze of people, Loki felt his disdain for these creatures rising once more through his body. It sat like a stone in the pit of his stomach, heavy and burning.

Their lives were so pathetic, filled with meaningless pursuits for material wealth and sensual pleasures. For almost two thousand years, he had watched as they clung so desperately to this pitiful existence. They craved it. For an Asgardian, Loki was young, but one did not need a life as long as Odin's to recognize the desolation that surrounded the human race. He shook his head in disgust.

As he sat, contemplating the meaning of human life, the god realized that he was being watched. Loki sat very still, waiting for his observer to either make themselves known, or leave. He sincerely hoped it was the latter. Interactions with humans left him feeling worn out, and often, slightly offended.

Soft footsteps drew closer to his table. Loki groaned inwardly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his intruder standing by his chair. Loki continued to gaze thoughtfully out the window, hoping it would deter lengthy conversation.

"It is you."

Loki froze. Slowly, he laid his hands out on the table, and stared at the smooth, pale skin. He could feel her pale eyes searching his face. Raising his head tentatively, Loki kept his tone deceptively casual.

"Do I know you?" he asked. The girl's expression was somewhere between a smile and a smirk.

"Do you have to ask?"

No, he didn't. She was wearing the black apron of a waitress, and he dark hair had been pulled back into a tail. Her pale blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of thick, black-rimmed spectacles. But it was her.

Loki fought back a growl. Just as he'd convinced himself that he would never see her again, that their strange encounter had simply been a product of his over-active imagination. He looked back down at his hands.

"Yes," he replied at last, "yes, I do." He looked back up at the girl. "Although, you do look vaguely familiar." He dropped his gaze once more, pretending to be absorbed in his newspaper. In his peripheral vision, he watched the girl, waiting for her to leave.

She didn't.

Instead, she pulled out the vacant chair, and sat down opposite him. Loki couldn't believe his eyes. Even for a human, her audacity was preposterous. Here he was, a complete stranger, and this woman had just invited herself to break his solitude. She smiled across at him. Loki watched her with unsmiling eyes.

_Go. Away._

"I don't know if this works the same way for the rescuer," she murmured, "but if I lived to be ten thousand, I wouldn't forget your face." Her fingers traced circles in the dust as she gazed at him expectantly. Loki cleared his throat. "I have a terrible memory," he muttered. The girl chuckled.

"Or maybe you just save girls like that every day." Now it was Loki's turn to smirk. She studied his expression. "Although, somehow I doubt it," she added. With nimble fingers, she released her hair from its tie. It instantly fell about her shoulders in soft waves. Loki rolled his eyes at her blatant show of flirtation. With a weary yawn, the girl stretched her arms comfortably across the table. Instinctively, Loki drew back in his chair. The girl noticed, and raised her eyebrows in amusement.

"So, where do you live?" she asked. Loki started. She didn't even know his name.

"A house," he replied shortly. The girl nodded, as though this were a very useful piece of information. Loki struggled to keep his scowl retracted. All he wanted was to snap his fingers and make this _pest _disappear.

Loki may have done just that, were it not for the sudden crash that sounded throughout the cafe. He glanced over his shoulder. A man behind the cafe's counter appeared to have dropped a large tray of porcelain mugs. The wooden floor was littered with shards of white. With a sigh of frustration, the girl rose from her chair. She looked down at Loki.

"Hey," she began apologetically, "I gotta run. I'll see you around, maybe?"

Loki stared up at her blankly for a moment. She looked back at him, obviously expecting a reply.

"You won't."

With that, he rose from the chair. As he made his unhurried way towards the door, Loki knew she was still watching him. He kept his gaze fixed ahead. Just a few more steps.

"Hey!"

Loki winced. No longer bothering to hide his annoyance, he spun slowly on his heel, pinning the waitress with a thunderous scowl as he did. She studied him for a moment.

"What's your name?" she asked finally.

"Loki."

The word slipped from his lips before he had time to think. He turned, and quickly stalked out of the cafe. He hurried across the road, and down the street, trying to put as much distance between himself and the damned cafe as he could. As he walked, Loki attempted to reason with himself.

"What does it matter?" he muttered. "No human would believe my name was Loki. Besides, I'll never see her again."

_What is the matter with me?_

**Hope you all liked it. Next chapter coming soon. Hope you all have a great first day of 2013. Please please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here it is, the next instalment of my Loki fanfic. All rights to Marvel. Hope you all enjoy it!**

"_No, Loki."_

_My father's gaze, cold and filled with disappointment._

_My brother's eyes, wide and filled with fear._

_My heart, pierced and torn in two._

_And then I'm falling. _

_Falling._

Loki awoke in a cold sweat. Staring, wide eyed out the window, he bit back his tears of shame.

-o-

Time seemed to have stopped. Outside, the afternoon sun shone softly through the trees. They cast dappled patches of light on the brick path that surrounded the huge building that was home to the city's public library. Children playing in the Fall leaves, chasing one another round and round, laughing hysterically as they did.

Loki was aware of nothing. Other than the pile of books resting beside him on the table, he was oblivious to everything else around him. Ever since a young age, his love for literature had been one of the most prominently defined differences between Thor and himself. Whilst his brother had spent many hours in the training ring, Loki had preferred to spend his afternoons hiding away in the Allfather's library. Odin's great love for history, combined with his mother's love of poetry and art had made the great chamber a perfect oasis for Loki's ever-wondering mind.

For the last few hours, the god had been seated been seated alone at the long, polished table, devouring one book after the other. Although the human texts differed somewhat drastically from Asgardian literature, Loki was not disheartened. He traced the edge of the book's crisp, white page. Finally, something in the strange realm of Midgard that actually made sense. A lock of dark hair flopped once more over his eyes. Loki pushed it behind his ear with a flicker of annoyance.

The thud of a book being dropped harshly on the tabletop pulled Loki from the words of one Charles Darwin. Slowly, he glanced up.

_Oh no. Please, no. Anything but this!_

Quickly, he buried his head in the large volume. Perhaps she had not recognized him. Approaching footsteps told Loki he was unfortunately, mistaken. He kept his face hidden behind the book's heavy cover all the same.

"Are you following me?"

Loki closed his eyes. "I am beginning to wonder the same thing," he muttered. Slowly, he lowered the book. The girl sat across from him, her dark hair hanging loosely about her shoulders. Her pale eyes sparkled with excitement. Loki couldn't help but wonder what she was excited about. It couldn't possibly be seeing him again. Could it?

Casting the ridiculous notion from his mind, Loki returned to his book. For a time, there was silence. Then: "You have an unfortunate lack of curiosity."

Loki sighed and looked up once more from the book. "I believe the word you are looking for," he shot back flatly, "is 'common-courtesy'. And yes, 'tis sad, but true."

Once again there was silence. Loki attempted to focus once more on the text, but of course the words now slipped from his mind as soon as he had read them. It was too busy contemplating the extent of his misfortune. Of all the days to visit the human's library, he had chosen today.

"That's two words, ya know."

Loki slammed the book down on the table. The loud thud shattered the heavy silence. "What do you want from me?" he demanded, fighting to keep his frustration from bursting into something dangerous. The girl seemed unfazed by his outburst. "Is your name really Loki?' she asked, almost as though he hadn't spoken. Taken aback, Loki leant back in his chair, scowling.

"Yes," he replied after a moment. She nodded, and for some reason, she seemed to believe him. "I'm Hannah, by the way." She smiled at him. "Hannah Skye."

Loki nodded. Despite himself, he felt his scowl slowly fade into nothing. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hannah Skye," he offered, a little stiffly. His greeting sounded pinched and uncomfortable compared to the girl's easy speech. The human Hannah stared at him for a moment, before exploding into a fit of giggles. An elderly woman browsing at a nearby shelf glared at them in disapproval. Loki watched the girl in confusion, trying to discern the source of her entertainment. He had not thought his words _that_ amusing. Finally, she stopped to take a breath.

"You sound like such a dork!" she exclaimed. "'Pleased to make your acquaintance'? Are you always this formal?"

"Are you always this irritating?" he shot back. Loki waited her to look offended, jump off from the table and storm off, as he'd seen many a female Midgardian do to their male companions on multiple occasions. Instead, she simply shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess I am," she admitted. Reclining back in her chair, Hannah picked up the book that had accompanied her to the table. Loki scanned its dusty cover. "Who is Shakespeare?" he asked. Hannah looked up at him incredulously.

"You're kidding, right?" Loki looked at her blankly. Hannah raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Where have you been for the last three hundred years? Under a rock?"

Loki continued to stare at her, trying to decipher the meaning behind her strange words. _Under a rock? What in the world could that possibly mean? _

"Where are you from anyway?" Hannah ventured. "Cause you kinda sound like you're from England or something." Loki searched for an acceptable answer that would also helpfully quell further inquiry.

"I move around quite a lot," he replied finally. Hannah waited for him to continue, but Loki's attention, turned once more to the book, told her that was all he was going to disclose. She sighed loudly. Loki scanned the small print with unseeing eyes, waiting for her to leave. After a few moments of blissful silence, Hannah dropped her book once more on the table.

"Do you wanna go get an ice cream or something?"

With an exasperated sigh, Loki lowered his book for what he assumed would be the last time. From the gleam in the girl's eye, he could tell she knew she was irritating him. And she was enjoying it. He reluctantly closed the book.

"If I say yes," he ventured tentatively, "will you leave me alone?"

Undeterred by his blatant lack of enthusiasm, Hannah nodded, grinning widely. She knew that she'd won.

"You have my word."

**I hope you liked it. Next instalment coming soon. Please, please review guys! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, here's the next instalment of my Loki fanfic. I hope you all enjoy it. All rights to Marvel.**

'Grabbing an ice-cream' with the human called Hannah was quite possibly one of the strangest experiences Loki had ever had.

Upon leaving the library, she had stopped a moment outside the towering building. As she rummaged around in her over-stuffed tote bag, Loki peered at the automatic glass doors suspiciously. Shortly after arriving in Midgard, Loki had an unfortunate run-in with a door quite similar to the one that guarded the library. The door had, of course, come off second best; Loki had blown it to pieces. However, the god remained very aware of its movements, even as he turned back to Hannah.

As he watched her, the girl pulled a small stick composed of what appeared to be paper from a small box. Placing one end in her mouth, she produced from her bag a pocket-sized contraption whose purpose, try as he might, remained a mystery to Loki. When Hannah pressed a small button located on the device's side, it made a strange sound, like someone snapping their fingers, and a flame erupted suddenly at its tip. Loki raised his brows slightly, somewhat impressed at the tiny torch's ability to create a steady flame. Most human contraptions he had experienced seemed to be good for little other than causing trouble – such as automobiles, and electronic doors.

Hannah brought the tiny flame to her mouth, touching it to the stick that waited there. The end glowing red, she returned the torch to her bag, and took a long, deep breath, before pulling the stick from her lips. Loki watched as her exhale came in a cloud of smoke. Hannah caught him watching, and offered him the box.

"You want one?" she asked. Loki shook his head. A sudden gust of wind blew Hannah's next exhale directly into his face. Loki coughed, the vile smoke filling his mouth and nose. "And you enjoy breathing this into your lungs, do you?" he inquired once the cloud had cleared. The girl smirked at him.

"I'll take it you're a non-smoker, then?"

Loki followed as the girl made her way down the street. There were not as many people around as there had been earlier. The shops and boutiques that lined the road side were quiet, apart from the occasional customer. The doorbells jingled as they moved in and out.

Walking a few steps behind her, Loki studied the girl. She looked ordinary enough; long pants, a layered shirt, a scarf. And although she asked more questions than any other creature Loki had ever encountered, there was nothing about her that would suggest she was anything other than a normal human girl. And yet, she was different from any other human he had ever met. She seemed completely at ease with him – him, a complete stranger. She knew nothing about him, and yet, had decided to trust him all the same.

Noticing that he was no longer by her side, Hannah slowed her pace and fell into step beside him. Although he kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, Loki could almost feel her smile warming his face. "You okay in there, big guy?" she asked. Loki didn't reply.

When they reached the place Hannah had referred to as 'Cold Rock', Loki stood by her side and watched in amusement as a girl smashed bits of candy and chocolate into what he assumed was ice-cream. The girl, however, seemed to be having trouble keeping her eyes fixed on her task and off the god. As a result, she smashed her finger more than once.

Once they had their 'ice-cream', Hannah led him to a booth where the seats looked like leather, but were actually plastic. Loki scoffed.

Across from him, Hannah was jabbing at her food suspiciously with a plastic spoon. Loki glanced down at his own bowl uncertainly. "What?" he ventured. Hannah frowned.

"Just searching for that piece of smashed finger," she replied. "I'm sure she dropped it in here somewhere." Loki couldn't bite back the smile that stole across his face. The girl looked pleased to have drawn an emotion other than irritation from him. She placed a spoonful of the colourful blob into her mouth. Loki peered down at his own.

"Try it," she urged him, the spoon bouncing up and down as she spoke. Loki collected a small scoop of the strange-looking food on his plastic spoon. Tentatively, he placed it in his mouth.

The experience was bitter-sweet. The ice-cream itself was sweet and smooth. It melted on Loki's tongue. However, the cold burning sensation that shot through his temple was not. It felt as though someone had split his head with an icicle. He rubbed at him forehead. Across the table, Hannah chuckled.

"Brain freeze," she offered. "Anyone would think you'd never had ice-cream before." Mouth still numb from the food's unexpected temperature, Loki shook his head. Hannah's eyes widened. "No ice-cream, not Shakespeare," she muttered. "Next you'll be telling me no Elvis." Loki had no idea who or what an Elvis was, so he said nothing.

Once he'd gotten past the initial 'brain-freeze', Loki, to his surprise, found the ice-cream quite enjoyable. Once he'd scraped his the bowl clean, he sat quietly and waited for Hannah. As she ate, Loki found himself wondering once again why she trusted him so. She must have sensed him watching her, because she glanced up at him expectantly.

"Yes?"

"Why are you doing this, Hannah Skye?" he asked. Hannah frowned, and glanced down at her bowl. "Because I like ice-cream?" Loki shook his head. Hannah sighed, and lowered her laden spoon. For a moment, they sat in an uncomfortable silence.

"Because I like you," she finally replied. "You seem like a cool guy." Loki almost laughed at her unwittingly literal choice of words. "Plus, I kind of owe you," she added. "The least I could do was shout you an ice-cream."

Loki frowned, struggling to understand her logic. "But you know nothing about me," he pressed. "For all you know, I could have killed someone this week."

The irony of his words hit him. Loki sat back in his chair. The girl was sharing ice-cream with a murderer, and she had no idea. To her, he was simply the man who had saved her life. The realization hit him like a wave. Loki felt the unfamiliar sting of guilt. Hannah hadn't noticed his discomfort.

"You can't be all that bad," she assured him. "You saved my life, after all." The girl returned to her ice-cream, and Loki said no more on the matter. As he sat, he caught the girl gazing dreamily at him from behind the counter. She blushed, and offered him a tentative smile. Loki didn't smile back.

How fickle these humans were. How concerned they were with appearances. They were so caught up with what was on the outside; they forgot to discover what was hiding underneath. As he watched the girl wiping miserably at the countertop, Loki could easily understand how this could be their undoing.

"Loki?" Hannah's voice drew him back to reality. "Earth to Loki!"

He looked at her blankly. "Yes?" Hannah rolled her eyes.

"I said," she muttered, "did you like the ice-cream?"

Loki nodded. "It was most satisfactory."

**Hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter coming soon. Please review, you guys!**


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